Ukraine has formally removed Red Square from its planned use of weapons during Russia’s 9 May parade, linking the decision to a US-mediated ceasefire and a proposed 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange.
Ukraine has formally excluded Red Square in Moscow from the planned use of Ukrainian weapons during Russia’s 9 May Victory Day parade, after US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire and a large prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.
The decision was set out in a presidential decree signed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and published on the Ukrainian president’s website. The document states that, “taking into account numerous requests” and “for humanitarian purposes” discussed with the American side on 8 May, Ukraine will permit the parade to take place in Moscow on 9 May 2026. It adds that, for the duration of the parade from 10am Kyiv time, the territorial square of Red Square will be excluded from the plan for the use of Ukrainian weapons.
The decree specifies the area by four sets of co-ordinates around Red Square. Its wording is narrow and time-limited. It does not establish a wider restriction on Ukrainian military operations, nor does it address Russian military facilities or other targets outside the defined area.
The move followed Trump’s announcement that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a ceasefire on 9, 10 and 11 May. According to Trump, the arrangement includes a suspension of combat activity and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. He said he had personally made the proposal and thanked both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting it.
Zelenskyy later confirmed that, during talks mediated by the American side, Ukraine had received Russia’s agreement to conduct a prisoner exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000. He also said that a “regime of silence” should be established on 9, 10 and 11 May, and that he had instructed the Ukrainian team to prepare the exchange as quickly as possible.
The Ukrainian president thanked Trump and his team for what he described as effective diplomatic involvement, while adding that Kyiv expected the United States to ensure Russian compliance with the agreements. Zelenskyy also referred to “many appeals and signals” in recent days regarding the configuration of 9 May in Moscow, in connection with Ukraine’s long-range drone capabilities.
His explanation linked the Red Square decision directly to the prisoner exchange. “Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be brought home,” Zelenskyy said, according to Ukrainian reporting of his statement.
The announcement came after several days of dispute over ceasefire proposals around Russia’s Victory Day commemorations. On 4 May, Russia’s defence ministry had unilaterally announced a temporary pause for 8 and 9 May. Moscow also warned that any disruption of the 9 May parade could be followed by a major strike on central Kyiv.
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Ukraine did not accept Moscow’s earlier proposal as a sufficient basis for de-escalation. Kyiv had called for an immediate halt to hostilities from 6 May, but Russia did not agree. Zelenskyy said on the morning of 8 May that Russian forces had already violated their own declared ceasefire.
The US-mediated arrangement differs from Russia’s unilateral declaration in two respects. It covers three days, from 9 to 11 May, and includes a significant humanitarian component through the planned prisoner exchange. If implemented, the exchange would be one of the largest of the war.
The timing remains politically sensitive. Russia’s 9 May parade is one of the Kremlin’s central state ceremonies and is used to project military symbolism and continuity with the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Ukraine also commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany, but has rejected Moscow’s use of Second World War memory to justify its current war.
